President Welcomes Kennedy Center Honorees to the White House
The State Floor

5:13 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Please be seated. Thanks for coming, and welcome
to the White House. The annual reception for the Kennedy Center Honors
is always a memorable event, and Laura and I are happy you all could
join us. We extend a special welcome to this year's honorees, and to
their families and friends.

The Kennedy Center Honors are presented for exceptional
accomplishment in the performing arts. Once again, the Center has
selected five extraordinary Americans for this high distinction. Each
of these honorees, in a lifetime of achievement, has set a standard of
excellence that is admired throughout the world. All of them have
earned a unique place in the cultural life of the United States and a
special respect among their fellow Americans.

The first Kennedy Center Honors were presented in 1978, to a group
that included the eminent choreographer, George Balanchine. And on that
stage that evening, dancing in tribute was the great Suzanne Farrell.
Together, Balanchine and Farrell gave the world of ballet one of the
rarest and most successful collaborations in history. He created
masterpieces just for her. And no one epitomizes the style and grace of
Balanchine choreography as much as Suzanne Farrell.

She first came to New York from Cincinnati. In only after a year
at the American School of Ballet, she made her professional debut in
1961. Before long word began to circulate there was something new --
someone new, someone very special at the New York City Ballet. When she
took the stage as Dulcinea in Don Quixote, she became a sensation. In
that performance, a reviewer said, Suzanne Farrell was "absolutely
flawless, technically impeccable, light as a bubble, perfect in line and
style."

In hundreds of performances over a 28-year period, Suzanne Farrell
was never known to depart from that standard. This was a ballerina who
had it all -- grace, strength, and the ability to act, turn and jump
with perfection. During classes, Balanchine often coached dancers with
three words: "Do like Suzanne." (Laughter.)

In performances as diverse as "Agon," "Theme and Variations,"
"Scotch Symphony," and "Clarinade," she had a mesmerizing effect on her
audiences. Watching her was said to be "one of the sublime experiences
of an era." One admirer said that Suzanne was a dancer who "made
audiences sweat." This remarkable lady is now guiding a new generation
of dancers as the leader of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet.

In the words of one of her dancers, Suzanne "inspires you. You
want to give her everything you have because she meets you each step of
the way." She does this every day with the spirit and the patience and
the guidance of a truly lovely woman. She is widely appreciated as the
greatest ballerina this country has produced, and the United States of
America is proud to honor Suzanne Farrell. (Applause.)

Julie Harris discovered very early in life she loved to act. And
the world discovered that she was better at the craft than almost anyone
else. Fifty years ago, when her beautiful face was on the cover of Time
Magazine, the story inside offered the confident and accurate prediction
that she would be a star "for the rest of her life."

Julie Harris has excelled in every forum she has attempted, from
historical drama to tragedy, to musical comedy, to Shakespeare. She is
known for one of the most hauntingly loving -- lovely voices in theatre,
and she stands nearly alone in the depth and range of her talent. She
became a star on Broadway at age 24, playing a 12-year-old girl in "The
Member of the Wedding," and was nominated for an Oscar when she played
the same role for film. Whatever age or personality or struggle the
role calls for, Julie Harris can fill it, with meaning and feeling and
complete believability. She has thrilled audiences as St. Joan of Arc,
and Mary Todd Lincoln, and Florence Nightingale, Queen Victoria, and
Emily Dickinson.

Her greatest admirers, perhaps, are her fellow actors. Boris
Karloff said Julie "is always in complete control of herself, just as a
fine pianist is always the master of his music." The screen pioneer,
Ethel Barrymore, put it even more simply. She said, "That girl can do
anything." (Laughter.)

The most respected actress in American theatre received five Tony
Awards, more than any other performer -- plus a Special Tony Award for
Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. She has also won a Grammy and
three Emmys, and has appeared in many television plays and motion
pictures. In her career, Julie Harris has starred with Robert Redford,
George C. Scott, Lauren Bacall, Shelley Winters, and Sir Lawrence
Olivier. She's the girl who appeared opposite James Dean in the "East
of Eden."

Julie Harris has been called Broadway's "tiniest tower of
strength," a woman of deep intelligence and discipline. She is known,
as well, for her gentle spirit. As one stage manager put it, Julie
Harris is "an angel, everyone loves her." It's hard to imagine the
American stage without the face, the voice, and the limitless talent of
Julie Harris. She has found happiness in her life's work, and we thank
her for sharing that happiness with the whole world. (Applause.)

There was a time when Robert Redford thought his life's work might
be as a baseball player. (Laughter.) He went to college on an athletic
scholarship, but his interests soon turned to the arts and eventually to
acting. Years later, when he was hitting home runs, as the character,
Roy Hobbs, a reviewer of the film said this: "Robert Redford reminds
those who need reminding that he is one of the perfect male film stars,
extraordinarily handsome, effortlessly fascinating, and enormously
talented. His role here gives us ample chance to see another kind of
'natural' in his element."

For more than four decades, Robert Redford has been one of
America's most watchable and credible actors. From early appearances
and televised plays and on Broadway, he moved easily into the film and
into film history. We all remember his finest dramatic roles -- with
Barbra Streisand in "The Way We Were," with his notebook in "All The
President's Men," on the election trail in "The Candidate," and in the
Utah wilderness as "Jeremiah Johnson." Paired with Paul Newman in two
legendary films, Robert Redford also proved to be an actor with flawless
comic timing, and he earned an Oscar nomination for his role in "The
Sting."

In his capacity to grow and to excel as an artist, Robert Redford
has shown very few limitations. In 1980, he decided to try working
behind the camera. The result was "Ordinary People," and it won him the
Oscar for best actor [sic]. Soon afterward, he founded a workshop for
independent American filmmakers at Sundance, which has done so much to
encourage and teach emerging filmmakers.

Robert Redford is a public-spirited man, a Westerner who cares
about the issues. He knows what he believes and he's not afraid to tell
people. (Laughter and applause.) Over the years he's had a strong
influence on public policy. (Laughter.) And it doesn't hurt --
(laughter) -- and it doesn't hurt that he's quite a charismatic guy.
(Laughter.) One time he found himself speaking in front of a group of
people in a profession he didn't think too much of. So he stepped to
the mike and gave them a piece of his mind. When he finished, one of
the people he had just scolded rushed right up and said, "Did you really
make the jump off the cliff in 'Butch Cassidy'?" (Laughter.)

When Robert Redford speaks you hear more than an actor or director.
You hear the voice of an active, passionate, committed citizen. His
family can be proud that this man they love is one of the most familiar
faces in the world, one of the biggest names in movies, and an all-time
favorite of his fellow Americans. Congratulations. (Applause.)

Tina Turner's life began in Tennessee in a town called Nutbush.
(Laughter.) I've never been there, but -- (laughter) -- I've passed a
few sign wavers who apparently want me to know about it. (Laughter.)
As a girl, she worked in the cotton fields and sang in the church choir.
In her amazing journey, Tina Turner went on to sell tens of millions of
records, and earned a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

She's written music classics and a best-selling book. And a movie
about her life was nominated for two Oscars. As a performer, Tina
Turner is known to "transcend age, gender, race and social status." On
one of her tour stops in Texas, a concert reviewer described an audience
that included "college students and biker chicks wearing jeans and
leather vests, ten-gallon-hat-wearing cowboys, and finger-snapping
grandpas." (Laughter.) Everyone was there for the same reason -- to
see one of the greatest live entertainers ever to come out of the United
States.

Tina Turner, it has been said, "commands the stage with the sheer
force of her full-throttle voice and magnetic presence." People stand
in wonder at the natural skill, the energy and sensuality, and the most
famous legs in show business. (Laughter.) Behave yourself.
(Laughter.)

Her voice has been described as combining "Otis Redding's husky
break and James Brown's growl with some of Aretha Franklin's soaring
cadences." She moves better and faster than dancers less than half her
age; she does it all in four-inch high heels. (Laughter.)

She first became a star in the "Ike and Tina Turner Revue." She
made music history with a rendition of "Proud Mary" that no artist could
ever hope to match. It won the Grammy, and still wins her fans.

In the 1970s, the brave lady had to start over again, on her own.
It was a hard time. All she owned in the world was her stage name and
her God-given talent. These, combined with her persevering character,
led to a phenomenal solo career. A single album, "Private Dancer," sold
more than 12 million copies, and the year it was released won her three
Grammys. She has produced a string of hits that are familiar across the
world, including "What's Love Got To Do With It?," and "Simply The
Best." She has played before some of the largest concert crowds ever
assembled, and each time every eye is trained on the stage, not wanting
to miss a single note or a single move by this electrifying artist.

There's nobody quite like Tina Turner, and in the arc of her life,
there is so much to admire -- the incredible musical gifts, the inner
strength and the moral courage. She's a woman of achievement, and
elegance, and class. And it's an honor to welcome you to the White
House. (Applause.)

Tony Bennett once said, "What I try to do is give a performance and
have everybody say, 'God, I love that song.'" Well, he's known that
satisfaction throughout his career. When you hear the title of a Tony
Bennett song, all at once you can hear the man singing it -- "Fly Me To
The Moon," "The Good Life," "The Best Is Yet To Come," "Just In Time."

This son of New York made his singing debut as a little boy in
1936, standing beside Mayor LaGuardia at the opening of the Triborough
Bridge. Much time has passed, and at this point, the Triborough Bridge
is showing some age. (Laughter.) The little boy who sang that day is
still looking pretty good. (Laughter.)

Perhaps his biggest professional break came in the late 1940s, when
he was opening for Pearl Bailey in Greenwich Village, and she introduced
him to Bob Hope. When he learned this young man's name was Anthony
Dominick Benedetto, Mr. Hope said, "That's too long for the marquee,
let's simplify it and call you Tony Bennett."

Soon he was one of the great nightclub singers, performing through
the years with the likes of Duke Ellington, and Count Basie, and
appearing on the "Tonight Show," as Johnny Carson's first guest. When
Tony recorded "I Left My Heart In San Francisco," he won his first
Grammy, and the song took him from the clubs to Carnegie Hall. From
that day to this, he's been playing to sellout crowds. He's won a total
of 11 Grammys and a lifetime achievement award.

And it's a symbol of his endurance that this man who was making
records when Harry Truman lived in the White House has become a favorite
of the MTV generation. As one newspaper declared, "Tony Bennett has not
just bridged the generation gap, he demolished it." (Laughter.) The
vocal style and interpretive skill of Tony Bennett are without equal.
And no other singer is held in higher regard by his fellow entertainers.
B.B. King once said, "To be near him is a highlight of my life. I've
met two Presidents in office, I've met the Pope, Pavarotti -- and Tony
Bennett." (Laughter.) Frank Sinatra declared that Tony Bennett was the
best singer in his lifetime.

His vocal talent and love for music came from his dad, John
Benedetto, who passed away when Tony was 10 years old. In his memoir
Tony writes that John was a "very poetic man, full of love and warmth,
who sang with a gentle, sensitive voice I can still hear." Tony's mom,
Anna, undoubtedly saw those same qualities in her son. He called her,
"my one guiding star." And in a long life, Anna watched her boy rise to
the top and remain there.

Tony Bennett is also a very talented painter, whose work is widely
exhibited and admired. He's a deeply committed humanitarian. He's a
man of character who served in the U.S. Army in World War II, and he
marched for civil rights with Martin Luther King, Jr.

Of his career, Tony Bennett has said, "The audience has been
beautiful to me." And the sentiment is entirely mutual. Everybody
likes the man. He's been aptly described as "the kind of celebrity who
cabdrivers call by his first name." We're joyful that he remains a
friendly presence in American life, an entertainer still at the top of
his game, and a voice we love to hear. Tonight our nation honors Mr.
Tony Bennett. (Applause.)

Each of these honorees has enriched our culture and reflected
credit on our great country. It's a true pleasure to be in their
company, and to let them know just how much they mean to the people of
the United States. Congratulations. Thanks for coming. (Applause.)